I Make Up To $6K a Month on DoorDash & Uber Eats: 5 Tips To Make the Most

Becoming a delivery driver for DoorDash or Uber Eats takes you out of the passenger seat of earning passive income and makes you an independent contractor. Maybe you’re already delivering but want to boost your earnings or maybe you want to follow the tracks of someone who makes up to $6,000 a month doing deliveries in this gig economy. Delivering food now in your free time can help you reach your long-term financial goals. Read on to learn more.

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Quick Take: How I Make $6K a Month as a Delivery Driver

YouTuber, Phoenix Deliveries, does many challenges where he sees how much he can make per month as a delivery driver. Here’s what he had to say about one such challenge:

5 Tips To Make Money With DoorDash and Uber Eats

When it comes to making money with Uber Eats or DoorDash, choosing how you operate is paramount to your success. Food delivery services, if you know how to maximize your earning potential, can be highly lucrative. If you are looking to pad your bank account, but don’t necessarily want a full-time job, here are five tips to make $6,000 a month from food delivery apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats.

1. Frequent Busy Areas and Hotspots During Peak Hours

One of the keys to success in delivery driving is knowing when and where to be and what are your hotspots. Keep an eye on your app’s heat map, which shows busy areas with high demand for either Uber Eats or DoorDash. These are the hotspots where you’re likely to get more orders and make more money.

Try to position yourself in these areas during peak times, like lunch and dinner rushes, holiday mealtimes or weekends. Delivering during a rush can add value to your delivery and increase the number of delivery requests you receive to maximize your earning potential. Aim for denser areas to decrease your turnaround time and distance between deliveries.

2. Use Both DoorDash and Uber Eats To Increase Your Opportunities

Time is money, especially in the delivery business. If you complete deliveries as quickly as possible without compromising quality, you can rake it in. That means planning your routes efficiently, avoiding traffic jams and being prompt when picking up and dropping off orders.

The faster you complete deliveries, the more orders you can take on and the more money you can make. Using multiple apps such as both DoorDash and Uber Eats can nearly double the amount of cash you can earn quickly. Both apps offer consistent revenue so it only helps to double your odds as customers will vary by platform.

3. Treat It Like a Business and Provide Excellent Customer Service

Delivery driving is your new small business so treat it accordingly by providing excellent customer service. Happy customers are more likely to tip well and leave positive reviews, which can boost your earnings in the long run. Here are some quick hospitality tips to ensure you aren’t leaving money on the table:

• Always be friendly, polite and professional when interacting with customers.

• Double-check orders for accuracy, and handle any issues or complaints promptly and courteously. Going the extra mile to provide excellent service can lead to higher tips and repeat business.

• Take advantage of incentives and bonuses.

• Many delivery platforms offer incentives and bonuses to encourage drivers to work during busy times or in specific areas.

• Keep an eye out for promotions like peak pay bonuses, referral bonuses for recruiting new drivers or incentives for completing a certain number of deliveries within a set timeframe.

• Assess the profitability, duration and size of the the order to make sure taking that delivery is worth your time, money or tip potential.

4. Build a Delivery Strategy To Be Efficient With Your Time

Building a delivery strategy is a crucial step toward making the most money possible when working for Uber Eats or DoorDash. If you do this correctly for your delivery area and schedule, you could easily earn $6,000 per month or even more. Here are a few tips and key takeaways for designing a streamlined delivery strategy:

• Factor in delivery time: Knowing how long it will take you to get to where you are going, and back again, is an important part of the equation when it comes to your time, effort and earning potential. Only accept high-traffic orders that keep you in the busy part of known hotspots or delivery zones. This keeps you from going too far and being able to fill more orders with less turnaround.

• Valuate the order amount: Making each order worth the time you spend on it only makes sense. However, this means you have to weigh things such as if an order is large and pays a lot but it takes too long to complete it.

• Take into account the restaurant’s efficiency: Since you don’t make the food or goods you are delivering, you are largely at the mercy of the restaurant or vendor. A restaurant that has previously shown it is inefficient, makes multiple errors or just isn’t great to work with should be avoided with selecting what deliveries you choose.

5. Track Your Expenses and Maximize Deductions

Tracking your expenses and maximizing your deductions as a driver can help minimize your tax liability as a gig worker. Keep records of mileage, gas, vehicle maintenance and any other expenses related to your delivery work. These expenses can often be deducted from your taxes, reducing the amount you owe and increasing your take-home pay, not to mention the delivery apps also reimburse you for many expenses so make sure you aren’t going out of pocket.

Being an Uber Eats or DoorDash driver means you’re an independent contractor so all of the details are in your hands. While this brings significant benefits in terms of flexibility in setting your own hours it is also important to stay on top of what you’re making and other responsibilities.

What You Need To Make Weekly for $6K a Month

• Average national DoorDash hourly pay: $16.37

• Average national Uber Eats hourly pay: $17.68

It’s important to remember that average salaries include a lot of rates of people who aren’t doing everything they can to make the most. Most delivery drivers report making $20 to $40 per hour on average. If you follow the tips outlined above, there is a good chance you’ll earn more toward the latter.

If this is the case, in order to make $6,000 a month, that means you would have to take in about $1,500 per week. So, for example, if you are earning around $40 per hour by frequenting hotspots during peak hours you would have to work between 37 and 38 hours per week.

Final Take To GO

Being a delivery driver for DoorDash or Uber Eats can be a rewarding way to earn extra income. By following these simple tips such as knowing your hotspots, being efficient with your time, providing excellent customer service and tracking your expenses — you can maximize your earnings and make the most out of your time on the road. Not to put it too simply, but you are in the driver’s seat for how much you can earn.

FAQ

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding Uber Eats and DoorDash.

• Can I make $200 a day with Uber Eats?

  • Yes, you can make $200 a day with Uber Eats by driving approximately 10 hours, earning an average of $20 per hour, which is highly doable with the app.

• Can you make money delivering food on Uber Eats or DoorDash?

  • Yes, there is great potential to earn income by being a delivery driver. Here are some ways to boost your earning potential:

    • Frequent busy areas and hotspots during peak hours.

    • Use both DoorDash and Uber Eats apps to increase your delivery opportunities.

    • Treat it like a business and provide excellent customer service.

    • Build a delivery strategy to be efficient with your time.

    • Track your expenses and maximize deductions.

• How many hours do you need to work to make $500 a week with DoorDash?

  • To make $500 a week with DoorDash you need to work at least 20 hours a week at $25 or more per hour. This can be achieved by doing the following:

    • Frequent busy areas during peak hours

    • Accept multiple orders

    • Provide excellent service

    • Treat it like a business

    • Keep track of expenses

    • Build a delivery strategy

• What are the best side gigs?

  • Here are some of the best and highest-paying side gigs:

    • Dog walking

    • House cleaning

    • Freelance writing

    • Graphic design

    • Real estate flipping

    • Virtual assistant

    • Delivery driver

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I Make Up To $6K a Month on DoorDash & Uber Eats: 5 Tips To Make the Most